Medical Professionalism in the Provision of Clinical Care in Healthcare Organizations

Medical professionalism is critical toward provision of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable clinical care delivery. The basic tenets of medical professionalism are deeply embedded in the historical context via oaths and expectations. However, standardization of professional conduct and its integration by providers have been a challenge due to the evolving complexity of healthcare organizations (HCOs) and academic medical institutions (AMIs). Increasing heterogeneity of the workforce leads to greater complexity in collaborative teamwork. In this evolving landscape, violations of professional conduct demand closer scrutiny along professional and personal lines. Likewise, actions among minority groups pose challenges between integration and inclusion of certain professional interactions and conduct. Recently, in American HCOs and AMIs, there has been a renewed emphasis on accountability and managing unprofessional behaviors in the delivery of clinical care. This descriptive literature-based treatise explicates the professionalism construct in its historical milieu, underscores key facets of professionalism, highlights principal drivers of unprofessional behaviors, and posits solutions for enhancing and nurturing professionalism in the delivery of clinical care in HCOs and AMIs by a diverse workforce of healthcare providers.